How to grow pomegranate from seed: Everything you need to know

The pomegranate tree comes under the minor fruits category, which means It is Generally Grown less by the farmers. Pomegranate is a temperate fruit that needs a low temperature to meet its criteria. As I mentioned about pomegranate, it has been less interactive by the farmers but it grows for juice-making purposes by the different juice-making companies. On the other hand,  in the house, people are growing pomegranates for home consuming purposes as well as for showing purpose. In this article, I will discuss “How to grow pomegranate from seed”.

How to grow pomegranate from seed

So, there is following outlines,

  • Introduction
  • Medicinal importance
  • Pomegranate fruit physiology
  • Growing pomegranate indoor
  • How to prepare pomegranate cuttings
  • Growing pomegranate commercially
  • Pre-harvest measures for growing pomegranate
  • Post-harvest measures
  • Comprehensive conclusion

How to grow pomegranate from seed

Introduction to the pomegranate tree

The pomegranate tree is one of the most beautiful trees in the world. It is also a symbol of peace and harmony. It is believed that the tree was planted by the ancient Egyptians, who believed it to be a gift from the gods to the people of Egypt. The pomegranate tree has been used for thousands of years to decorate homes, temples, churches, and other buildings.

The Pomegranate tree hardiness zone is 7-10.  The pomegranate tree can tolerate the hot and dried winter as well as dried summer but not at an extreme level in both winter and summer. The pomegranate tree growing zone is 7-10.  The pomegranate tree has a subtropical and tropical nature where it grows best and that subtropical climate. During setting and flower development it needs dried and hot summer temperatures. The pomegranate growing zone is subtropical and tropical where it grows best. During fruit setting and pomegranate flowering development, it needs dried and hot summer temperatures. 

Pomegranate tree medicinal importance

Pomegranate tree fruit is a good source of vitamin C, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and manganese. It is also rich in vitamin A and beta-carotene, which are important for eye health. In addition to its health benefits, the fruit also has a long history of being used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat a wide range of conditions, including arthritis, rheumatism, gout, psoriasis, eczema, asthma, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, insomnia, migraines, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and many more. In fact, it has been used for thousands of years as a treatment for many of these conditions.

The pomegranate tree is one of the most popular fruits in the world. It has been used for centuries to treat a variety of ailments, and it is also used in traditional Chinese medicine. In the United States, the fruit is grown in California, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Pomegranate tree good for

Pomegranate fruit is good for so many things for human beings likewise it is best for adults in normal health because it maintains the mitochondria alive and retains them. Pomegranate is good for the digestive health of human beings in the stomach, small intestine, large intestine and promotes prebiotics to work more which are human-friendly bacterias.

Pomegranate tree blood pressure

Pomegranate fruit is a rich source of antioxidants that helps to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood as well as control the concentration of blood pressure. These antioxidants have a scavenging ability to scare the body against different autoimmune entities.

Pomegranate fruit vitamins

Pomegranate fruit takes more vitamin C When it is consumed raw but in the case of juice-making purposes, it loses several nutritional components like vitamin C as per daily recommendation intake. When it is consumed as fresh it gives 32mg Of Vitamin C per 100g but It loses its quantity when used as a juice.

Pomegranate fruit physiology

Ripe pomegranates

There are several ways to check the maturity indices of pomegranate fruit like checking the color of skin, checking the tip of fruit, etc. When a complete colored skin of pomegranate turns from yellow to light pink or dark red. A fruit with colored patches should be considered fully ripe. It cannot be concluded by observing the fruit color only.  Look out for the pomegranate fruit tip portion which seems to be a bell-like structure. It should be softer or smoother when it is touched with your hand.

Pomegranate color

Pomegranate fruit developed its color and taste fastly on the tree when fruit completed their maturity stage. Pomegranate color depends upon the variety which varies from light pink to dark red.

Pomegranate seeds benefits

Pomegranate seeds are very useful. At a commercial level, it is propagated by air layering and pomegranate cuttings. But, at home, its arils contain the small papery white color seeds which could be used for growing pomegranate at your home in pots.

Deseeding pomegranate fruit 

When fruit is separated with the help of a knife and then its errands are gently pushed then smaller white-colored seeds appear which are very useful for growing purposes at home but this strategy is not used at a commercial level.

Pomegranate flowering to fruit

Pomegranate flowering to fruit takes 80-120 days. This stage is very critical and needs more care than any other stage. Its flowering needs a hot and dried summer until ripening. 

How to cut a pomegranate fruit 

Growing pomegranates at home are very easy to do. The first step is to remove the stem from the fruit. This can be done with a sharp knife or a pair of tweezers. If you are using a knife, make sure that the blade is sharp enough to cut through the skin and the flesh, but not so sharp that it will cut your fingers. You can also use a paring knife if you have one. The skin should come off easily with just a few strokes of the knife.

Next, you will need to peel off the outer layer of the skin. To do this, use your knife to pry off a small piece of flesh. Be careful not to puncture your skin or cut yourself. Once you’ve peeled off this skin, it’s time to get to work on the inside. 

For this purpose, cut the pomegranate fruit into pieces then you will see the arrils which cover the seed. Take a piece of tissue paper and then gently push arills with the help of tissue paper and separate the small white seeds. It would be better for you to grow these seeds as soon as possible otherwise they lose their germination capacity.

How to grow pomegranate in pots from seed 

Growing pomegranate in pots from seed is very easy to grow. Pomegranate seeds can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 months. They can also be kept in airtight containers in a cool, dry place for a few weeks.

As I have mentioned earlier, growing pomegranates in pots is easier. You can grow small white seeds from arils. Some people also grow pomegranates from cuttings. Air layering is a common technique used by nurserymen to prepare the plant. The pomegranate has deciduous nature and it is a medium height tree. 

Point to ponder: initially, for growing pomegranate indoors, you can choose the small pitcher pot with potting media. It is suggested that you should sow seeds which you have extracted from the fruit and gently push them into the soil and keep wet the soil until it germinates. Later on, you may need a bigger sized pot.  

How to use pomegranate cuttings for planting

This is a diversified question of many people about how to grow pomegranate from cutting. There is a very simple process for pomegranate cuttings. For this purpose, mature and pencil thickness newly growing branches or shoots are selected. Pomegranate cuttings need callusing for growing their roots. Rooting hormones should be applied for this purpose.

A simple mixture of aloe vera gel is a good rooting hormone for pomegranate cuttings callusing. It is suggested that you put pomegranate cuttings in that mixture for 2 hours. Prepare your soil with soilless media like Peat moss otherwise make a proportional mixture of sand, silt, and farmyard manure. Then put pomegranate cuttings in that soil. Keep wet all the time until the soil starts growing and that’s it.  

Growing pomegranate commercially

Commercially sponsored farmers established a pomegranate tree orchard. Their first and foremost purpose is to prepare pomegranate tree orchards for juice-making companies. All the steps of production Technology of pomegranate are kept under great consideration from soil preparation to the post-harvest handlings.   

Growing pomegranate commercially is used to treat a variety of skin conditions, including acne, eczema, psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis. Pomegranate juice has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It has also been shown to be effective in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

There are the following steps for the establishment of a pomegranate tree orchard,

Sowing of nursery plants

Nursery plants can be grown from pomegranate cuttings. To do this you may need a little land of 2-3 marlas. Pomegranate cuttings can be grown over the raised bed. After proper care when pomegranate cuttings turned into a complete vegetative plant. They should be acclimatized.

Point to ponder: most of the time people use not grow their own nurseries instead of getting ready to transplant plants from different reputed nurseries.

Soil preparation for growing pomegranate

A soil preparation fruit orchard is foremost and important in the preparation of the soil for the production of fruits and vegetables. It is also the most important source of organic matter, which is essential for plant growth and development. It is important to note that the quality of soil is determined by several factors, such as the type and quantity of nutrients, the amount of water, and the temperature. 

Soil preparation for growing pomegranate is the most important and fundamental step in which land is leveled with laser leveler then soil pulverization is done with the help of multiple plowing and plowing in-depth soil is most recommended. 

Point to ponder: It is necessary to remove the weeds by daab method in which well-rotted farmyard manure is fed up to the soil and then the land is irrigated so that seeds present in the FYM should grow so that these weeds could be removed before land preparation for transplanting the nursery plants.

Food and water for growing pomegranate  

Fertilizer and water requirements for pomegranate trees should be pre-planned for almost the whole lifespan. There are following strategies are adopted for fertilizers and irrigation,

  • During the soil preparation soil is fed up with well-rotted farmyard manure. Holes are dug for plants where these holes are filled with a mixture of sand, silt and cow dung. This is an initial strategy to make the area of the plant fertile with natural resources.
  • Synthetic fertilizer application is done based on a recommendation where a wishlist can be obtained from the department of agriculture near you.
  • Similarly irrigation is provided with the understanding of different factors like type of soil, climate, temperature and age of plant.
  • When a plant moves from the juvenile stage towards the maiden bearing (meaning first fruit bearing) needs more care in regards to water and fertilizer.
  • You can get more on the application of fertilizer and water schedule details here

Pest and diseases in the pomegranate tree

There are not any specific pests and diseases in pomegranate tree mentioned but sometimes it complains that pomegranate trees in the house become susceptible to the insects like ants, tunnel making insects inside the plant stem. This case is also very rare but chemical control is recommended for that apart from there different things should be considered for plant care,

  • When a plant is too much younger during early bearing or before that it needs protection against harsh environmental conditions like direct sunlight during hot summer should be avoided similarly frost danger in winter. For protection purposes, plants should be covered.
  • Weeds problem started as plants grew more so weeds should be kept under control especially under the canopy. 
  • Plants should be cared for during the juvenile and vegetative stage. Be careful about watering to not over irrigate.

Pre-harvest measures for the pomegranate tree

Pre-harvest handling is important for pomegranate trees. This is the stage when the fruit matures about one month before. It is stated that more than 50% of fruit taste and color come at the end a few weeks before fruit harvesting. It is suggested to do less irritating for greater fruit taste before two weeks. Sometimes, many progressive farmers apply the plant growth hormones over the fruit for faster maturity and ripening. So, this stage should be kept more serious than any other stage.

Post-harvest measures for the pomegranate tree

Many farmers and entrepreneurs do pomegranate tree farming in product contributions with different juice-making companies so post-harvest approaches are kept under great consideration.

There are the following measures that should be considered for postharvest handling of the pomegranate tree, 

  • After harvesting, fruit should be kept under a neat and clean environment to remove the field heat which helps in the greater shelf life.
  • Before transferring to the other places it should be graded into neat, clean pieces and packed very well.
  • There are different types of packages material used but cardboard boxes are most useful to overcome the damages and bruises during transportation.

Conclusions for growing pomegranate

  • Pomegranate is a nutrient and vitamin rich fruit. 
  • Pomegranate tree is a minor fruit which means this fruit creates less attention but many growers and entrepreneurs do this production based on contract basis mostly.
  • Pomegranate is easier to grow at home using seeds extracted from fruit see the details above in section.
  • Pomegranate cuttings are used generally to grow it at homes.
  • Pomegranate nursery plantation is done with air layering and pomegranate cuttings.
  • Pomegranate tree adapted to a wide climate range from subtropical to temperate zone. There are different varieties used as you can see here.